:"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He might exalt you in due time. 7. Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
,The great promise of this text is that we are never alone as we deal with life's cares. I really believe that God wants me to cast my cares, worries and anxieties upon Him. I do not mean to leave the impression that I never worry, What I wish to convey is that I do not let life's cares make me lose sleep, etc. It is good to know that Almighty God loves me and He wants me to take the worry to Him in prayer, and that He will hear my prayer and give me the relief that I need. He is also there for you. Each night when I get in the bed, turn the light out and get ready to sleep, I utter a prayer to God, I really believe the old hymn that says "Take it to the Lord in prayer." When I read the promise is verse 7, my mind turned to Philippians 4:6-7: "Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. 7. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." He is ready to take your cares, worries and anxieties unto Himself and give you the peace that "passes all understanding." This is not a hollow promise. It is really true that God wants you to have His peace, Even as I write this, I am dealing with life's cares, and I am glad that I can turn them over to God. (I just did. I certainly want to practice what I preach,) If you believe the Bible, surely you believe that the promise or God's peace is available to you. In my years as an Associational Missionary, I spent Wednesday nights and Friday afternoons in the Mitchell County Correctional Instltute, and the Autry State Prison. My recurring theme for them was that God wants the best for you, but you have got to believe that it is true and let Him change your life. God also wants the best for you, but you have to believe it and let God change your life. There is no better thought than that Almighty God loves you and He wants you to turn your cares over to Him and let Him give you His lasting peace. Do it! Bro. Joe
0 Comments
"Humble Yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time."
The exaltaion that we will receive from God will be in His time. That is what "due time" means. It is also translatated, "that He may ealt you at the proper time." This text reminds us we do not serve God to enhance our egos, but to ultimately bring glory to Him. The proper time for exaltation is whatever time God chooses. If we base our exaltation in our Christian service on the enhancement of our egos, we are doing it for the wrong reason. If what we do brings only glory to ourselves, we have accomplished absolutely nothing. I cannot speak for every preacher; I can speak only for myself. This has been a recurring problem that I have encountered in my years of ministry. I found it easy to desire to hear from people, such comments as, "I enjoyed the sermon," or "that was good preaching." There is nothng wrong with people saying it; it is wrong when we take it to ourselves and claim the credit, and really believe the compliments that we receive. When one person says that, there might be several others who would say: "You call that preaching?. Preaching is indeed in the ear of the listener. The question is do my sermons bring glory to me, or is God lifted up in the person's life. I have heard preachers that were not eloquent, or learned, but when they preached people were challenged and changed. This can be true of Sunday School teachers, choir members, soloists, etc. I recall a lady who used to sing solos in her church. Perhaps a musician would find fault with her talent, but when I heard her sing my heart was blessed. The fact of the matter was that she was not singing to entertain me, but she was singing to bring a musical blessing that would glorify God. Her joy in singing praise to God touched my heart, and in the heart of everyone else in the congregation. When we have a place of service in the church, or when we are serving in the workaday world, we should ask if we are exalting God or self? Does our service feed our egos, or does it feed the hearts of other people, and does it bring glory to God? I do not mean that we should not use the best of our talents in serving God. God gifts us and expects us to use His gifts to bring glory to Him, and to touch hearts of other people. And, I might add to gladly use those gifts whatever other people may say. The question for us to ask in our service is not "am I doing a great job?" The question we need to ask ourselves is "will what I am doing lead people closer to God?" Keep on serving God in whatever tasks He has called you to, and do it for HIm. Appreciate the kind things that people say and tell them "thank you." Give glory to God that He is using you in His service. "He will exalt you in due time." Bro. Joe "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He might exalt you in due time."
"Humble" is not a favorite word today, but it is certainly a favorite word in the Bible. Our text tells us to "humble yourselves," but it does not stop there. It says to "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God." We do not humble ourselves just to please people, but we humble ourselves to please God. If we humble ourselves under God's mighty hand, we will be in good fellowship with our fellow Christians. More importantly, we will be more effective servants of God. One man comes to my mind when I think of a humble man, and that man is Moses. The Bible reminds us that Moses was a humble man. He led a cantankerous bunch of Israelites through the "wilderness" for forty years, and did it effectively. They made him angry at times, and some questioned his leadership, but he kept on leading them until the end of the journey, and until God called him home. When we feel like quitting our work for the Lord in the church and in daily life, we need to humble ourselves and continue to serve the Lord no matter how bad the circumstances may become. When we humble ourselves, we realize that the work is not just about us, but it is about the kingdom of God. If God has called us to a work for Him, He has already given us all that we need to succeed. Our success is not always the outcome of the ministry, but it is about the fact that God entrusted us to some responsibility. I always remember that the Lord allows me to serve Him. He allows you to be a deacon, a Sunday School teacher, an usher, or whatever your responsibility. Accept the responsibility with a humble heart and mind, and realize that you are doing it for the Lord. Read the text printed above and ask the Lord to enable you to humbly serve Him, and that you will be thankful that He allows you to do it. Bro. Joe (I reprinted this from 2014. It contains a message that we all need to share.)
And the Spirit and the bride say Come. Let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.” The Bible tells us about the God who invites us to come to Him. Our text is one of the most beautiful of invitations to come to the Lord. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said “Come unto me…” Throughout the Bible we are made aware that God invites us to Himself. The message of the Bible is “come in” instead of “keep out.” The Christian faith is about welcoming rather than keeping out. This is true of Jesus, it should be true of our churches, and it should be true of us. Does your church communicate to people “come in” or “keep out”? I read the following in the July 7, 2013 devotional from Daily Bread: “A beautifying project on the main road of my town prompted the demolition of a church built in the 1930s. Although the windows of the empty church had been removed, the doors remained in place for several days, even as bulldozers began knocking down walls. Each set of the doors around the church building held a message written in giant, fluorescent orange block letters: "KEEP OUT.” Some churches wonder why they do not grow, even though they are in heavily populated areas. They need to look at their fellowship and ascertain whether or not their fellowship says to visitors “come in” or “keep out.” Churches are built on fellowship, not friendship. This does not mean that we do not have friends at church. A church that is built on friendship alone, however, says to visitors, we have enough of us here and we don’t need you. Fellowship has open arms that invites people in regardless of how they look, act or smell. You know, kind of like Jesus acted with the “tax collectors and sinners.” Several years ago, my late wife, Mary, and I visited a church where I was to speak on behalf of our denomination. When we arrived at the church no one was there to greet us. After Sunday School no one spoke to us. The pastor did get my name because he had to introduce me. After the service was over, the people were fairly friendly, but not until then. As we left the church, I said to Mary, “Do you realize that if I hadn’t been the speaker it is possible that no one would have spoken to us?” If we had been visitors looking for a church, this would probably have not been the church we would have chosen. Their demeanor said “keep out.” Do you communicate that you want people to “come in” or “keep out?” The question is do you have a welcoming demeanor in your activities with people. Sometimes our attitudes communicate to people that we do not want to be bothered with them. I know that there are people who are “people” people and people who are not. (Try to say that three times fast.) But as Christians we have to find a way to be “people” people. Jesus was certainly a person that welcomed people into His space. The best example of this is that children obviously loved Jesus. Children have a way of knowing whether people are loving or not. People felt free to come up to Jesus and talk to Him. Even though Jesus grew tired from time to time and He and his disciples went off to themselves to rest, that was not the way He lived. People sensed that Jesus loved them. Do people sense that you are interested in them, and that you love them? That is an important question for a Christian. We are witnesses for Jesus Christ and we do not need to put a “keep out” sign on that witness. Proverbs 18:24a reminds us: “A (person) that has friends must show himself friendly.” This does not tell us that we should wear a “keep out” sign on ourselves. I know that all of us have good days and bad days, and that includes our relationships with people, but all-in-all we need to make sure that by the way we treat people we say to them “come in” ...not “keep out.” Just ask yourself which of these you are saying to people now, and work on being a "come in person." Bro. Joe "And whosoever would be the greatest of you, shall be servant of all. 45. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Jesus said the above after James and John asked what honor they would have for following Him. They thought that since He was the Messiah, they were in for big rewards. The other ten disciples were displeased with James and John, possibly because James and John were getting ahead of them in asking for rewards. In this text Jesus corrected all of His disciples their assumption of earthly greatness. Jesus said that He came to serve, with the idea that they should see themselves as servants. Let's see what Jesus taught His disciples, what He taught us. Jesus pointed out that greatness in His service would be based on servanthood, not on earthly greatness. It would be a good thing in our churches if we would learn this lesson. Many church problems are caused by the question of who is in charge. We need to remember that Jesus is in charge in His churches, We were saved to serve, not to seek mastery. In verse 44 Jesus pointed out: "And whosoever of you should will be the greatest, shall be servant of all." Understand that when you sing in the choir, you are serving the Lord. When you teach a Sunday School class you are serving the Lord. When you work in the nursery you are serving the Lord. When you witness to someone your are serving the Lord. When your pastor preaches and ministers, he is serving the Lord, I could go on with this, but you probably get the point. We are servants not only in the church, but we are servants in all of life. When we do business at our jobs, we are still servants. When we shop we are still servants. When we are at home with our families, we are still servants of God. When you are the boss where you work, you are still a servant of God. I think that we would all want to have a boss who is a servant of God. I know that someone has to be in charge, but it is easier to work for someone who is nice and treats us well. This is how a Christian boss should act. If you are a Christian, you are a servant of God. Bro. Joe "And these things write we unto, that your joy may be full." John, and the other biblical writers, wrote about the joy that they had in Jesus. In our text John referred to "full joy." This set me to thinking how we can describe full joy. Following is my attempt to share at least part of the full joy that belongs to every Christian. . Full joy is joy in Jesus. The Apostle John was a follower of Jesus from the beginning of His earthly ministry. I imagine that John had experienced joy before he met, and followed Jesus, but when Jesus came into his life, his joy was full. Jesus was the person who elevated John's joy in living. Jesus adds full joy to those who accept Him as Savior. The kind of joy that Jesus gives us is not erased by negative things that happen in our lives. Since we are human beings, we need to remind ourselves that our joy is not in what happens in our lives; instead our joy is in our personal relationship with Jesus. I have personally learned that this is true in the last few years through cancer and a stroke. These things erased a lot of things in my life, but they did not erase the joy I have in Jesus. You might need to be reminded of this. Look to Jesus! Full joy is joy in our fellowship with other Christians. This is the reason that we "have church" every week. We will occasionally have fellowship troubles. I have served Churches for about sixty years. I have had fellowship problems, but none of these problems stole the joy that I have in Jesus and the joy that I have in serving Him. All of my relationships have not been positive, and sometimes I have had to wrestle with the flesh, but because of Jesus I have not been overcome with the hatred that is really a joy killer. Satan is in the business of trying to cause us to dislike or hate, people that we have problems with. Do not let Satan tamper with the joy that you have in Jesus by his attempt to break the joy that you have in your fellow Christians. Please do not think that it has always been easy for me to remember the gift of joy, but it has always been necessary. Full joy is joy that should be shared. Jesus did not give us full joy to keep to ourselves. Actually we should want to share Jesus' joy with other people. Jesus shared joy in His earthly ministry. He continues to share His joy with us. John shared this joy in his first letter. This did not mean that Jesus was never angry, and it does not mean that we will never be angry. Anger becomes a sin when we hang onto it, and refuse let it go. Jesus was angry with those who defiled the temple, but He still went to the cross for them. Make it a point to share the joy that you have in Jesus with other people. Let nothing interfere with the joy, and love. that you have in Jesus. Live it and share it! Bro. Joe "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
It is time to revisit one of my favorite texts - John 3;16. The text is filled with truths that we need to know, and that we should share with other people. John 3:16 tells us that God loves us. There are many who scoff at the idea of an Amighty God, and they certainly scoff at the idea that God loves us - each of us. Considering the mess that we have made of the world, it is really amazing that God loves us. Through all of the wars, and through all of the sinning, through all of the doubt of His existence, the text tells us that God loves us. That is not just good news, it is amazing news. Even more amazing is that God loves you and me in spite of our sins. This is one message that we need to get through to the world. There is much hatred in the world. We can even see this hatred in our politics. I even deal with this in my own life. It is difficult for us to consider that God loves us in spite of our sins. No matter how difficult this is for us to get into our minds and hearts, it is true that God loves us." Because of His amazing love for us, God "gave His only begotten son..." Jesus came to earth for the express purpose of giving Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Having given Himself as a living sacrifice for our sins, Jesus also called out "Father forgive them, for they known not what they do." Jesus was giving Himself as the sacrifice for our sins, for there was no other way for us to be saved. Our responsibility is to believe that Jesus sacrificed Himself for each of us. This did not mean that all people would believe in Jesus. Those who follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit to believe will be saved. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart to accept that Jesus died, rose again, and ascended to the Father, where He is making intercession for us. He is interceding for you. If you have not followed the leadership of the Holy Spirit, you can answer "yes" rilght now and be saved. It is still amazing to me that Jesus died and rose again for me, but I believe because the Bible says that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten that whosoever believed in Him would be saved."\ Bro. Joe “And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and read the book, neither to look thereon. 5. And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not: behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”
The context of Revelation 5:4-6 is the occasion of the opening of the seven seals. John was shown a book, or a scroll, that was sealed with seven seals. He wanted to see what was in it, but no one was able to open it. Then one of the twelve elders told him who could open the scroll. “The lion of the tribe of Judah,” is a designation for Jesus Christ, who was born into the family of David. But when the Lion came to open the book and to break open the seals, he had become “a Lamb as it had been slain.” This is what I want to settle on in this article: Jesus, described as “the lion of the tribe of Judah,” was then described as “a lamb as it had been slain.” This is an interesting depiction of Jesus. He is, indeed,“the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” but thank God, He is also a slain lamb. The Bible describes Jesus as the “Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.” He was/is the mighty Messiah, who came to earth, born of a virgin and lived a perfect life. Jesus showed throughout His ministry that he had power over death, disease and nature. He raised dead people to life, healed people of all sorts of illnesses, and walked on water. When Jesus spoke, most people listened and marveled because “He spoke as one who has authority.” In many ways in His life on earth, Jesus revealed Himself as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah.” While Jesus lived His whole life in humble service, He became the “lamb slain” when He surrendered Himself to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. Paul wrote about Him: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8) In 2 Corinthians 5:21 Paul wrote: “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” It was all-important for us that the Lion become a Lamb, for he had to die as a sacrificial lamb in order for us to be saved. If we have any righteousness, it is righteousness imputed, given to us, by Christ. It is important for you to see that the “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” became “a Lamb as it had been slain” for you. It is a personal thing. We come to the One who humbly gave His life on the cross to save us from sin and discover that He is also the Lion who brings His power into our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the way God does things. Jesus did not become our savior just because He was “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” but because He was the “Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.” In seeming weakness, God showed His great strength. If you do not know Him as your savior, receive Him by faith today. If you do know Jesus as your Savior, come to a greater appreciation of what Jesus has done for you by saving you and working in your life to make it more abundant. Thank Him today for who and what He is in your life. Be grateful that the lion became a lamb. Bro. Joe “Now therefore, fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.”
Every Christian is a servant of God. We can be effective or ineffective servants, but we are servants. Through the Holy Spirit, God has gifted every Christian to serve Him. This means that there is something for every Christian to do for God. This service can be achieved in the church or in the community. He did not call some of us to be “pew sitters” and some of us to do the work. We need to consider ourselves as servants of the lord. Joshua 24:14 tells us how to serve God. Our service should be reverent. “Fear the Lord” does not mean that we are to be afraid of God as if He was a hobgoblin intending to harm us . This is what a lot of people think this means. What it means is that we are to reverence God and hold Him in great awe. How can we read the Bible, believe what we read, and not hold Him in awe? Think of Jesus healing the sick, stilling storms, turning water into wine, etc. When we reverence God, we do not want to displease Him, particularly in the area of our service for Him. Our service should be sincere. When we serve sincerely, we put our hearts and souls into our service. For example, if a person has the gift of hospitality and serves as an usher in the church, he will not greet people half-heartedly. He will greet people in a sincere, Christian spirit. That makes a difference to people. If a person has the gift of encouragement, he or she will seek to encourage people wherever they are. This means that they would encourage people at work, at the mall, at a ball game – wherever. Sincerity goes a long way towards bringing people into the kingdom of God. Our service should be steadfast. When we serve the Lord, we serve Him according to His truth. This means that we hold steadfastly to the word of God as we serve. We are not to be “tossed about by every wind of doctrine.” Whatever we do, we are to stick to the Bible and what it commands. This will lead to stability in service. When we serve according to biblical truth, we do not stop serving because of adversity or disagreement. A lot of people quit serving when they encounter problems with people. We must keep on serving in spite of the obstacles and persevere in our service for the Lord. Our service should be exclusive. Joshua told the Israelites to “put away the gods which your fathers served.” Jesus said that we “cannot serve God and mammon." We are not in religious service, which can mean anything. We are servants of the Lord Jesus Christ and we are to serve Him and Him alone as led by the Holy Spirit. Keep in mind that you are a servant of God if you are a Christian. Serve Him! Bro. Joe (This is a reprint from 2012. I feel that there is someone out there who needs it.)
"Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?" I got an Email about a little boy who was coming home from Vacation Bible School. He was encountered by a man who asked him where he had been. The boy said that he had been to Bible School, learning about God and Jesus. The man told the boy that he would give him $100 if he could tell him where God is. The boy replied to him, "Mister, I'll give you $100 if you will tell me where God ain't." When we have health problems, or any other kinds of problems, we wonder where God was when it happened. This much I know - He wasn't absent. God/Jesus is always present. The psalmist wrote that if he tried to get away from God, there was nowhere he could go. Psalm 139:7-10: "Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: If I make my bed hell, behold you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost part of the sea; even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." If I didn't believe that God was with me, I would not want to face any kind of trial. He is with you too. Whatever your life is bringing you to right now, you do not have to face it alone, because you have a loving God who is "a very present help in time of trouble." (Psalm 46:1b) You can trust Him! Bro. Joe |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
All
Archives
September 2021
|